Patrol & Tag Checking Guide
Verify Permits Instantly with Your Camera!
ParkPlus revolutionizes parking enforcement! Our Patrol feature lets you quickly check if a vehicle has a valid permit for the property you're patrolling, simply by taking a picture of its license plate. No more manual lookups – get instant verification on the spot!
Why it's awesome: Massively speeds up patrols, improves accuracy, and makes enforcement incredibly efficient. Less typing, more patrolling!
How to Check a Tag During Patrol:
Follow these simple steps for lightning-fast permit checks:
- Go to Patrol Mode: Select 'Patrol' from your main navigation menu in the ParkPlus app/portal.
- Select Property: Use the dropdown menu at the top to choose the specific property you are currently patrolling. This ensures you're checking against the correct permit database. Important!
- Activate Camera/Scanner: Tap the button to start the tag check (it might look like or ). This will likely open your device's camera.
- (Optional) Toggle Flash: If it's dark, look for a flash icon () to turn on your device's flash for a clearer picture.
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Take a Clear Picture: Aim your camera at the vehicle's license plate. Make sure the plate is:
- Best results within 15 feet
- Centered in the frame
- Not blurry
- Not obstructed
- Get Instant Results: ParkPlus's smart system reads the plate from your photo and checks for a valid permit at the selected property. The result appears almost instantly!
How it works behind the scenes: ParkPlus uses advanced AI to read license plates from your photos. It even allows for minor errors (like 1 wrong character) when matching plates to permits. The system also checks if the permit is still valid based on its expiration date, so you get accurate, real-time results.
Understanding the Scan Results:
The system will tell you the status of the permit:
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VALID (Result: `true`) Green light! The vehicle has a valid, current permit for this property. No action needed.
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INVALID / EXPIRED / NOT FOUND (Result: `false`) Red light! No valid permit found, or the permit has expired. Proceed with enforcement according to policy.
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UNKNOWN PLATE (Result: `unknown`) The system couldn't read the plate from the picture. Try taking a clearer photo.
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TIMEOUT (Result: `timeout`) The system took too long to respond. Check your internet connection and try again.
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ERROR (Result: `error`) A system error occurred. Try the scan again. If it persists, contact support.
Scan Logging: Every scan attempt is automatically logged for reporting and auditing purposes, giving you a complete record of patrol activity.